When A Veteran Dies - Poem by Emily Wallace

So much pain in their hearts
So many tears in their eyes
It hurts like shooting darts
When a veteran cries.

Memories of war
Keep most silent
memories, I'm sure
are the most violent.

Flashbacks that burn
A fire that's ice
Friends that turn
C-rations drier than rice.

Buddies that die,
Some end their life,
Mothers that cry,
It twists like a knife.

Smothered with pain,
Buried in the dirt,
Covered in rain,
A newly ripped shirt.

Great success, when a veteran tries,
Sickness and fear, when a veteran lies,
Great heartbreak, when a veteran cries,
But scars and pain...when a veteran dies...